On the fourth Thursday in November

the Americans celebrate the holiday called Thanksgiving.

It is a national holiday.

Thanksgiving day symbolizes the joy of loving, caring, sharing.

Historically, Thanksgiving began as a tradition of celebrating a

harvest feast to give thanks by the Pilgrims.

Once upon a time in the land of

England, there lived a small group

of people called Pilgrims. The Pilgrims were

unhappy, and left England because

they did not agree with the religion.

On September 6th, 1620 the Pilgrims, 102 men, women, and children, left England on a small

ship, the Mayflower.

They went to America in 1620 and

sailed for 66 dangerous

days.

On December 11th , they landed at Cape Code where there was some cleared land, a stream with

clear pure water, and a high hill that could

be fortified.

They called their new home New England, but they were not the first

people to live there. The Wampanoag Indians lived there. They were native

to the area.

Only Squanto spoke English well. He became the

interpreter between the Indians and the Pilgrims.

Indians helped the white men very much. The

Pilgrims, under the Indian’s direction, caught fish and used them as fertilizer in planting corn, pumpkins,

and beans. They hunted and fished for food.

The Pilgrims’ first winter was very difficult. Many of

them died because it was very cold and they had little food.

The Wampanoag Indians helped them. They

brought vegetables and food, taught the

Pilgrims to survive in New England.

THEY ALSO TAUGHT THE NEWCOMERS HOW TO PLANT THE CORN.

The Indians showed the best way to catch fish, to hunt deer and turkeys.

In the autumn of 1621 the settlers had a great harvest.

The "first Thanksgiving" was celebrated

by the Plymouth colonists in 1621

(somewhere between Sept.21

and Nov.9)

They gave thanks for their new home, first harvest and for surviving the first terrible

Massachusetts winter.

They prepared a holiday dinner and invited their Indian

friends to join them. The feast

lasted three days. The Pilgrims and

Indians ate outdoors and

competed together in tests of skill and

strength.

The feast probably

consisted of the following items:

Seethed [boiled]Lobster

Roasted GooseBoiled Turkey

Fricase of ConeyMeal with driedWhortleberriesSeethed CodRoasted Duck

Stewed PumpkinSavory Pudding

of HominyFruit and

Holland Cheese

Thanksgiving remained a custom unsanctified by law until President

Roosevelt signed a bill on 26 November 1941 that established the fourth

Thursday in November as the national Thanksgiving public holiday .

Thanksgiving Cards should be sent to everyone who

has helped you in your life.